Hapax Legomenon
by karapuui
Summary: Hapax legomenon: where a word occurs once in a text or language. Once is enough to say "I love you", but how much does it take to say it? Giripan, greece/japan SHONEN-AI  boy's love


**Author's note:**

**NO PANICKING, NO PANICKING GUYS. My VK fic isnt on hiatus, im not taking a break! this was written a damn long time ago. i just wanna get ur feedback on my attempt at fluff. **

**this was written when i thought there wasnt enough hetalia greece/japan in the world. **

**since then, i have enjoyed watching the shipping grow :)**

**oh, btw, if ive used greek WRONG here (aka in the title), i apologise, and please tell me in a review! i just thought this title was good bcos it wrapped up the essences of both greek and japanese cultures, i thought. **

**It means where a word occurs only once in a single text. guess what that word is ^^ I CHEATED GUYS, I TOTALLY PUT THEM IN DIFFERNET LANGUAGES.**

**loool. **

**i just thought that it worked well, bcos that is obviously a Greek thing, and well... Japanese apparently are well known for not saying "I love you" very often - which i totally respect. i guess they think it makes the confession more valuable, or precious in its rarity. **

**if you say "I love you" once, that's rare enough - isnt it?**

**kk, on with the story!**

**Hapax legomenon**

**"Something said only once"**

Herakles Karpusi was not perhaps a man you would think to be daring. His eyes were perpetually half-lidded, which would imply that his sight of the world was bleary and unfocused, or that he felt no urge to put in the effort to see everything (which was because he already _knew_ everything). Moving was an effort for him, or at least it appeared that way, because every movement was sluggish and he only moved when it was absolutely necessary.

He would watch the world with half-lidded eyes for hours, barely moving, and sometimes his eyes would slip shut into sleep. This often annoyed those who weren't familiar with him, but not his friends who would calmly halt their conversations, knowing not to assume he was sleeping, because for all intentions he _might_ be awake. And you didn't want to let slip something off-hand to Herakles. His memory was remarkable, as was his tenacity to hold a grudge.

If you were to describe Herakles, you would have to say that he is both:

A man of few words.

And.

A man of few actions.

Which is why he stunned the masses when one lunchtime, he rose from his slumber and began to _walk_.

(Herakles _did_ walk. That was not the initial reason for their surprise. Of course – it was a novelty to see the sleeping giant _move_ during lunch period, after having _already_ gotten his food. Usually he was content after his meal, to lie down beside his friend Gupta, and nap until the bell rang.)

It was ironic that during the few, rare times he decided to move or speak, the rest of the world would slow down and become quiet, just so they could watch.

There was seemingly no destination to his stroll, no purpose, which was what drew the eyes of his fellow classmates. Perhaps it was his half-lidded eyes, which acted as blinkers to their probing eyes, but Herakles didn't hesitate. His groggy gaze, it was fixed on something on the far side of the canteen. People were craning their heads to see what he was staring at. Even a rather slow blonde boy on a passing table stood up and pointed at Herakles' eyes, tracing an imaginary line to where he thought its gaze would project. He missed.

Some people turned to Gupta, nudging the quiet boy and questioning where Sleepy Boy was headed. All he gave them was a discreet smile, a roll of his eyes, and then he packed up his lunch and left his friend to his spontaneous mission, knowing that it had always just _been a matter of time_.

Herakles' feet finally drew to a stop.

He was at the Asian table. Herakles had _walked_ the whole length of the canteen, _all the way_ over to the Asian table from the Mediterranean table (in fact even _further_ than that, because he enjoyed lounging in the sunshine, and the Mediterranean table had reserved the window-side of the canteen. He and Gupta usually ate lunch outside, climbing out of the windows, evading the stern glare of a certain German prefect from over at the European tables).

The quiet talk amongst the Asians drew to a halt when they realised they had a visitor.

The Chinaman looked up first, eyes lighting with recognition, and then a small smile appearing on his face.

"Hello Karpusi,"

Herakles nodded, "Hello,"

Soon the Chinaman's table all turned to him. There was a certain respect everyone gave to the Asians, simply because they were _cool_ (not that others weren't cool, it was just that the Asians were _different_ cool). Their exotic features, unlike anyone else, made them stand out. Yet they were usually quiet and didn't draw attention to themselves unnecessarily. They excelled at school with all the hard work they put into it, drawing respect for their resistance to school-cultural-taboos of being associated with _geek_ness from it. And yet they _still_ weren't geeks, they were _still_ super cool.

The fact that Herakles, as ever, seemed unfazed by being the focus of their intimidating gazes, amazed the canteen.

He nodded at all of the table's occupants, eyes falling at last on his intended target.

Herakles poked him softly, causing the boy to utter a small gasp.

A dark head whirled around, peering up at Herakles over his shoulder.

"Karpusi-san,"

"Ah… hello, Honda Kiku," he said leisurely. Everything about Herakles was slow (except his brain). His audience watched, entranced by his actions, knowing that lunchtime was ticking by and their food was getting cold, they were distracted by the entertainment. They all wondered whether Herakles would be finished with whatever he was doing by the time the bell rang.

Kiku was completely nonplussed. This boy he barely knew approached him like this (with a poke, which he thought was rather rude), and yet he knew to say his name the _proper_ way, with his family name first and his given name second. It was gratifying to know at least he knew how to impress him _slightly_. Not many, other than his friends, knew that the confusion between switching to the English way of saying his name, when he joined the school, had irritated him greatly.

"Pardon me asking…would you join me…outside, for a moment?"

Kiku nodded quickly, quickly dismissing himself from his table, following Herakles outside the building. He found his slow walking pace frustrating, but politely kept his feelings contained, observing their rapt audience with some trepidation.

There was a collective sigh of disappointment as the couple disappeared from view.

Herakles led them around the side of the building, away from the windows and the curious eyes of their peers. Since the groundskeeper was not particularly passionate about his job, the grasses here were high, up to their knees, and weeds devastated their lush greenness, rendering the ground rather yellow.

Watching the pollen sink from a gust of wind, Kiku found himself waiting, rather patiently actually, for Herakles to speak. The taller (_much_ taller) boy was moseying around, looking for a place to settle, but Kiku would not agree to sit on the ground. He didn't intend to stay for long, but he couldn't bring himself to rush Herakles, though his internal clock was ticking with growing impatience.

Finally Herakles found a place to settle. He glanced up at Kiku with surprise that he was still standing so far away, and patted the ground beside him invitingly.

"No thank you, Karpusi-san. I would prefer not to,"

The lazy fool merely shrugged and beckoned Kiku closer with his eyes. Repressing a sigh, Kiku acquiesced.

And waited.

Herakles seemed to be thinking of what to say, which irritated Kiku very much. How rude it was to bring him here with nothing to say! He bit his lip, forcing himself to relax and be patient, even though he was not at all impressed or comfortable with the situation. Kiku was never comfortable with meeting new people, and now he was with a new person, _alone_.

Finally he heard Herakles clear his throat, expectant eyes waiting for his attention.

He watched Herakles' pink mouth open.

"S'agapo,"

In that instant, everything changed.

It was amazing that Kiku, not knowing even one word of Greek, could understand exactly what Herakles had said. What language could not translate, Herakles' stormy, passionate eyes could.

He felt his ears turning hot and red, as did his face, quickly after. Now his fists were clenched, his lip was being gnawed, his eyes fell shut. All in all, Kiku felt ready to explode in embarrassment.

Who did this boy think he was? What on earth was he saying?

Kiku had never felt so flustered in his life.

Herakles tilted his head, marvelling at the colour change in the Asian's pale skin. Part of him wondered if Kiku even knew what he had said. The other part of him felt he knew he had. Why else would Kiku be glowing bright red, with such an adorable scrunched up face and his small hands curled up in tight fists?

"…it means…I-"

"I don't have to hear it!"

Kiku slapped a hand over his mouth, stunned at the sharpness of his tone. He had _snapped_, quite literally. Feeling shame creeping over his mortification, Kiku did what most people would do, feeling even more shame for doing so.

He fled.

Herakles watched him vanish, running around the corner of the building and disappearing from sight.

He sighed heavily, throwing himself back carelessly to lie in the overgrown grass, which was quite scratchy and uncomfortable, now that his thinly-clothed back had to cope with it. _That didn't go well_, he thought calmly. Already he knew what effect his words would have on the quiet boy. Kiku was intelligent, _frighteningly_ so at times. Herakles was pretty sure he didn't know Greek, but he had figured out plain enough what he had said, and reacted just the way he had predicted.

So all in all, Herakles was relatively satisfied, and impressed with his analytical skills.

A small mew broke him out of his small victory (he was smiling in victory. That was all, really). He expertly swept a hand out slowly to his right, scooping the small cat towards his chest to settle. The warm body of the cat settled just on his left pectoral, above his heart.

Herakles imagined someday, if Kiku was ever to return his feelings, his heart would feel warm like this.

* * *

><p>Kiku wasn't a coward. He was well-known for being the "strong, silent type" of boy, rarely speaking in aggression, but always interrupting when the time called for it, when someone needed defending. You wouldn't immediately think of him as being so brave, so valiant and strong, if you were to see him. His rather small stature belied his true strength, with which he could actually relatively easily topple a hulking figure like Herakles with a neat roundhouse kick.<p>

He always moved with a brisk pace, keeping to time with his schedules and making sure that he was always habitually early or on time to things. Yet he knew to balance his energy, and not appear needy (appearances were everything, or at least important to him), he would not expend energy on being too hasty. Kiku moved when it was necessary, and since he liked to keep active, he was frequently on the move.

Still, the masses again were befuddled to see Kiku moving with so much _unnecessary_ haste. They had barely had five minutes to speculate what Heracles was saying to Kiku, that they at first didn't notice his entrance. It was when he bumped into a passing student, flailing and hurriedly apologising with a small bow, and then proceeding to speed out of the canteen to the main school building, that everyone noticed his odd behaviour.

Immediately his "older brother", Wang Yao rushed after him, with just as much unusual haste.

Everyone watched them leave, and then turned expectantly towards the window-side of the canteen, where Heracles had yet to return. Gupta wasn't there either to go check out what went wrong (because undoubtedly _something had gone wrong_).

They wanted to know what happened, damn it.

But Herakles had yet to emerge, and as lunchtime drew to an end, everyone left him, because no one knew him quite well enough to be confident in breaking his nap (he was most likely asleep). Romano Vargas surprisingly decided to leave one window open, yapping to the German prefect known as Ludwig Beilschmidt that _the idiot could get locked outside, and then he could miss __**classes**_.

The window was left open.

Yet Herakles didn't return for the rest of the day, even to classes.

Though he was proud of his success at Telling Kiku, he had been wrong to call it a victory.

It was not a victory yet. Kiku did not return… his…

No. It wasn't a victory yet.

He spent the day planning scenarios of their next encounter, with his eyes closed.

* * *

><p>Herakles was not naturally a romantic man. He was practical, and he knew that Kiku was too. So wooing him with romantic gifts would definitely be the wrong way to go. He knew it would be best to get to know Kiku first, since they had actually never talked before yesterday.<p>

Which was probably why yesterday had been such a failure.

He had woken up with grass horribly trapped in his tangled hair and kittens licking his face. It was well into the late afternoon, almost evening by the time he awoke, and so he began to walk home, knowing he had missed another day's lessons (which wasn't a rare occurrence, though it hardly affected his schoolwork. This perplexed and irritated most of the teachers and the student body).

It was when he reached home when the true devastation of rejection and failure began to sink in. He liked to think his slow reaction to the pain would mean it hurt less, but it crept upon him like a shadow, and grew till he thought he might cry.

Most people regarded him as being a genius, but he had been completely, insanely _stupid_ yesterday. With no plan, and no preparation, he had, as they say, "winged it". Going by plain instinct, he had seized the chance, spotting his long-term love sitting there, for once taking time to eat his lunch (now Herakles also felt terrible for ruining his lunch he had been enjoying). This wasn't the reaction he had anticipated of himself.

But this pain… it pushed him to succeed.

What hero suffers, and yet does not strive to complete his task?

Herakles forced himself to think. He needed to get to know Kiku, but after yesterday he had probably frightened him away, and now he would be very hard to get to know. His chance was lost on a whim. A foolish whim.

Kiku had reacted badly to his confession. Fair enough. He barely knew him, which was probably why he had been startled and startled _him_, acting out of order when he practically yelled _**no**_ into Herakles' expectant face. What other answer could he have expected?

He had hoped… but hope wasn't enough.

If he asked Kiku out on a date, he could tell that he boy would say **no** again, because he would reply, "_I apologise, Karpusi-san. I am not comfortable with dating you when I do not know you very well."_ The irony of that response (which Herakles was definite was the appropriate Kiku-response) was that the very definition or purpose of going on a date was to get to know someone better. You were not meant to know them well to begin with. Though, Kiku would not see it this way. And Herakles most of all did _not _want Kiku to be more uncomfortable with him than he already was.

This was a nightmare. Never had there been a puzzle so difficult presented to Herakles than there was this day. Unlike cold, hard logic puzzles – which Herakles loved to solve, this puzzle involved people – or a person – or a person who meant a lot to Herakles. You cannot predict human will. There is always a chance the person's response will be different to what you had hoped for.

So, sending presents, even of apology, to Kiku would not work.

Trying to ask Kiku out on a date, would _definitely _not work.

Trying to talk to Kiku, even as an apology… no, he couldn't do it, he couldn't apologise for his feelings that were so strong and true, even if they were the cause of all this mess. They had messed up his calm mind, urging him with adrenaline in his veins, that he could win Kiku's heart if he just _went for it_. So he had, and it had horribly backfired on him. When his eyes met Kiku's… all his confidence slipped from him, and he struggled to even speak a word.

And then the words he managed to squeeze out… were the bare bones of what he felt. No dallying around with poetic comparisons, declarations or flattery. He had spoken his heart, in his home language, and his words had _not_ been ones Kiku appreciated (though he was still impressed with Kiku for recognising what he meant).

Oh… what a mess. There was nothing he could do.

Herakles hung his head, finding himself nose-to-nose with another cat. He shuffled the cat in his arms until it rested on his left arm, with its body fully stretched out, plastered over his chest and nuzzling him. The cat was so very warm, and he could feel its toes pulse against his arms, wriggling in joy.

"Keep me warm for now," he whispered, dropping a kiss on the cat's head.

He shut his window closed.

* * *

><p>Kiku was a stubborn boy, and when he didn't believe something, <em>he didn't believe it<em>. It was late at night now, and he had been speaking to his "brother" for well over two hours now. For the majority of the time Yao talking, scolding him for his rude behaviour (_"I can't believe you walked out on someone like that! And you even yelled at them first, Kiku-!"_), but most of all encouraging him to believe what he believed in what Herakles had said.

When he had told Yao what he thought he had said, saying that perhaps what he thought he was wrong and that he should apologise to Herakles tomorrow… Yao's expression wasn't surprised in the least.

It was then that Yao decided to drop the bombshell on Kiku.

"Herakles has been watching you for a long time,"

Kiku had refused to believe it. He would have noticed, and anyhow, they were barely around each other for Herakles to see him so often.

"Perhaps not often, but when you are there, he is watching. And I can see in his eyes that his feelings are real,"

Kiku had argued back, red-faced from both humiliation and rage. What did Yao know? You cannot read the eyes of someone you don't know well.

"That is true. But I know _you_ very well, little brother. I've seen your eyes on _him_ as well,"

This caused Kiku to sputter on his tea and almost choke to death on a tissue.

For a long while Kiku sat not-sulking (he was sulking), and Yao sat across from him, thoroughly amused.

Did Kiku think he was being discreet? That he wouldn't notice his fascination with the famous Sleeping Boy? He'd known Kiku since he was practically a baby. Even if others found it hard to know what he was thinking, _Yao_ almost always could tell.

Herakles was indeed well-known around school for being able to sleep anywhere. When they moved to the school, Kiku had been intrigued, and was the first to ask about him: _who he was, why he was called that, does he really sleep that much…?_ And Yao had slowly begun to see how his brother grew accustomed to keeping an eye out for the Sleeping Boy.

And when they finally managed to catch sight of him one day, sprawled out over his book in the library, that was when Yao saw it.

The sparkle of curiosity in his brother's eyes.

Kiku was fond of odd things, and cute things. And well… Herakles definitely not bad on the eyes. On that day, he was sleeping in a little patch of sunshine from the window, with his head pillowed on his arms. His curly mass of dark brown hair was illuminated in the bright light and created warm copper tones to his curls. Tanned and glowing, he looked _very_ cute with his lips slightly pouted in sleep, and his long copper eyelashes fanning across his cheekbones.

And then Kiku said it:

"_That posture will surely give him back pain_,"

Yao smiled. That was enough to tell him Kiku was fond of the Greek boy. Otherwise, he would barely have glanced over at him, and he wouldn't have said anything. They had stood there, staring at the Sleeping Boy for well over five minutes before Kiku said that, and then the younger boy had blushed faintly and dragged Yao and the others off to study.

Yao saw the way Kiku's feelings to Herakles developed. At first it had been a passing interest, then a slight fascination, then a _growing_ fascination, and then he reached the point of no return – he _liked_ Herakles. He may deny it, but he did. Yao saw all the signs: when Kiku suddenly stopped mentioning Herakles in conversations, stopped looking out for him in the corridors or visiting the well-known napping spots of the school's famous Sleep King.

Avoidance is the biggest mistake. It shows you are avoiding _someone_.

After this, he _pretended_ not to know of Herakles at all. _Karpusi? Who's Karpusi?_

_Well if you were convincing anyone other than yourself, brother, you wouldn't have been able to call Karpusi by name when you _recognised him_ at our table at lunch. If you really didn't like him, you wouldn't have followed him so willingly outside._

Yao grinned.

"Don't be ridiculous,"

Kiku scurried off to bed with his tail between his legs, his wounded pride at Yao's mirthful laughter dragging behind him.

* * *

><p>The next day found Herakles napping on his Gupta's desk, drooling slightly on the wood. Gupta had left him to go get some drinks, because the weather was terribly hot. The Mediterranean's tensed when they heard the door knock, thinking it must be a teacher. Gupta wouldn't knock, he'd glide in without anyone noticing. Had they been talking too loud to draw the attention of a teacher?<p>

Antonio Fernandez Carriedo quickly opened the door with a cheerful grin, his eyes twinkling knowingly as he let Kiku in, motioning straightaway towards Sleeping Boy.

Kiku nodded in thanks, walking towards Herakles nervously, casting a quick anxious look at the silent class. The class returned to their chatter, though they kept half an eye and ear on their classmate and his visitor, nosy as always for gossip.

Kiku hesitated upon reaching the sleeping giant's desk. He considered poking him awake, but remembered that he had thought it highly rude how Herakles had garnered his attention at lunch by _poking_.

"Karpusi-san," he started, speaking lowly. Herakles didn't even stir. A helpful classmate **yelled** at Kiku that he'd have to be louder than that.

"_Karpusi_-_san_," he repeated, a little louder. He was painfully aware that the others were watching him now, in amusement, as he attempted the impossible. Herakles was often left to sleep because he simply couldn't be awakened.

"_Karpusi-san!" _he yelled, not able to stop his hand shooting out to shake Herakles' shoulder.

The boy grunted awake, rolling his neck with a few sickening cracks, and then freezing when he saw Kiku gazing down at him.

Horrified, Herakles quickly ran his hands over his head to flatten his bed-head curls, heat flashing into his cheeks as he tried to make himself presentable.

Kiku also felt his cheeks redden again. He was reluctant to admit, but Herakles looked _cute_ when he woke up. Snapping his jaws in a wide yawn, and stretching his arms meekly, under Kiku's eyes.

"Karpusi-san, I came to apologise for my behaviour when we spoke earlier,"

"Oh… not at all… I understand,"

Kiku blinked. When he _had been _interested in the "Sleeping Boy", he hadn't thought talking to him would be so… time-consuming. Neither did he expect to not mind spending his time waiting for Herakles to speak. His voice was so deep and soothing, gravelly from sleep, but generally warm toned. His pauses didn't seem to be without purpose. Kiku could see that he thought _deeply_ about every word he spoke.

_That_ word he spoke to Kiku…

"Did you….understand what…it was, that I said?" Herakles tilted his head to the side, reminiscent of a kitten. Kiku flushed.

"I do not speak Greek, Karpusi-san," he sighed at Herakles' expression asking _why did you run away then, _"I do not speak Greek, but I can guess what you said," Kiku's eyes fluttered in memory, "I… I currently cannot reply to what you said,"

"…that's alright….I will wait for your answer then,"

This answer was relieving, though Kiku realised that eventually he would have to answer Herakles. He'd never been in a position like this. He'd never had the option to either crush someone's feelings, or let them…_love_ you. The power he felt was quite daunting. Kiku wasn't comfortable with having this leverage over someone as harmless as Herakles. If he didn't accept his confession, he would be breaking the heart of someone so sweet and good-natured…and…

If he _did_ accept Herakles…

Kiku blushed again hotly, daring not to look at the audience when he heard a few chuckles.

"I…I can't give you an answer,"

He began to panic, seeing the slow, woeful way (how he could describe it this way, he'd never know) Herakles' eyelids shut, concealing his defeated eyes.

"Herakles-san, I don't want to see you disappointed by my answer," he quickly said, biting his lip as the sleepy boy's eyes opened again.

"I'm much more disappointed not to receive one at all,"

"If I rejected you-"

"So you aren't?"

Kiku paused, blinking.

"If I rejected you-"

"Then I would try again,"

Kiku found himself unwillingly charmed by the man's calm determination, the passionate rich tone of his voice was fascinating. Looking into the Greek's calm, placid eyes, he wouldn't have detected this zeal, this steely determination which pushed the boy to _try harder, even in the face of rejection_. He had to admit, it was truly impressive and admirable.

Who _was _this boy? Kiku thought. Was he really going to try to win his affections? This was a situation Kiku had never expected he'd face, it was almost like one of those dating simulation games he liked to play, where the damsel's affections had to be won by the daring wooer.

Bowing to hide his smile, Kiku left the Mediterranean classroom quickly.

Strangely enough, instead of feeling frightened by this charmer's daring, Kiku found himself excited. It was a really special feeling, knowing someone was willing to work and fight to win your love, especially if that person was as notoriously lazy as Herakles was known to be. To think – he'd got Sleepy Boy on his feet. Kiku's smile grew, and warmth blossomed in his heart, as one phrase circled in his mind.

_Then I would try again._

* * *

><p>Kiku may not be a romantic, but he was in all honesty, soft-hearted. And in the following week, he found himself on a rollercoaster of emotions, smiling one day and scowling the next. He wasn't a person who showed much emotion regularly, but with himself being sensitive to emotion still, and the fact that he was being <em>wooed<em>… he was in a mighty pinch. And it was all because of one person.

On the Monday, he had been surprised to find Herakles talking to Yao in the Asian room, nodding enthusiastically. His eyes were completely awake now, and Kiku had to stop himself admiring their almond shape, his long Caucasian lashes and rosy flushed face.

Unfortunately he felt his ears heating up.

But Kiku forced himself to walk normally over to his desk. Who knew what they were talking about? It might not involve him at all. He placed his schoolbag down and pulled out his books, concentrating on flipping to the correct page. Still, his traitorous (red) ears turned their attentions to the conversation only two desks away from them.

Kiku had very good hearing.

"…yes… I think he will. Thank you,"

"Not at all, Karpusi. It's a very good thing you're doing for Kiku-"

At the mention of his name, the blush crept all the way into Kiku's face. He couldn't believe they were talking about him! Suddenly he wanted to intrude, no matter how rude it was, because it was so embarrassing! They were right in the middle of the classroom! The other students… well, they were busy with their own things. In fact, they weren't all too bothered with Herakles' unusual presence. It was just Yao.

Kiku began to fret. What if Yao was revealing embarrassing secrets about Kiku? Lord knew he had all the juicy material, knowing him for so long. Or maybe…Yao was giving Herakles tips. Kiku frowned, he didn't want that. He didn't want Herakles to cheat like that.

"-I'm flattered that you asked _me_ of all people,"

"Well… you know him best,"

"Yes. He'll laugh when I tell him,"

"…it isn't funny," Herakles almost pouting at Yao's chuckles. Kiku watched them surreptitiously glancing at them. He felt the slight twinge of betrayal from Yao. Why would he laugh at this? He would rather sulk than laugh if Yao was passing on all of his secrets to Herakles. At least Herakles was taking things seriously, somewhat. If his secrets had to be spilled to someone, other than Yao, he supposed Herakles would be an okay choice.

"Yes, it isn't funny," he found himself saying. Though he had spoken much too loudly.

Yao and Herakles looked over at him. In hindsight, the distance between them hadn't been very far at all. Clearly they hadn't been bothered at all at the idea of Kiku hearing their conversation.

Kiku's wide-eyed face cracked Yao up even further, but Herakles only smiled at him.

"What were you talking about?" he asked in a monotonous tone, now finding it silly to pretend he wasn't suspicious. Herakles scratched his face self-consciously, but Yao calmed himself down enough to speak.

"Karpusi here was asking for permission,"

"Permission to…"

"Woo you,"

Choking, Kiku spluttered at the smile that grew on Herakles' face, "Ah… I see,"

Amazingly, a smile _did_ smile on his own face, and he also found himself chuckling, laughing in relief.

Herakles had asked Yao permission to _woo_ him. What a thing to do… yet he couldn't find it in himself to be angry, annoyed, or even embarrassed at what Herakles had done. It was just plain _cute_. And it was charming. It was a Herakles thing to do.

The next day, it had been Kiku's turn to meet one of Herakles' friends, but this friend sought him out. It was the ever-silent Gupta, who glided into the Asian room to kidnap him just before lunch. The whisperings that accompanied them grated on Kiku's nerves, but he remained just as patiently silent as the Egyptian boy, following him out onto the lawn where one other person was already camping in the shade. Kiku didn't often eat lunch out on the grass like the Mediterraneans, but the weather was pleasant and he was curious, so he sat next to Gupta and graciously accepted some of the strange food they ate.

He was slightly put-out to find Herakles not there yet, but attempted to converse with his friends. Gupta obviously remained silent, but the other one was just as boisterous as one of Kiku's close friends, Feliciano Vargas. Loud and brash, Sadiq Adnan was certainly a character. Kiku didn't know how to speak to him, or rather, he _couldn't _speak to him – the man spoke so much.

He was nothing like Herakles.

But Kiku rather liked his joyous tone, his lively aura. So did Gupta, since he provided all the talking without much need for prompting. Sadiq was clearly a person who enjoyed the sound of his own voice.

It only occurred to Kiku that Sadiq might not actually be such a close friend of Herakles' when he began to talk about him.

"-oh he's _always_ talking about you!"

"Is that so," Kiku said, smiling and rosy-cheeked. Gupta winked at him.

"Yeah, he's like _obsessed _with you. He's a creep, Kiku,"

To his surprise, Gupta placed a hand on his shoulder softly, "Don't listen to him," he said quietly, "Herakles is a good person with good intentions. He's not a-"

Sadiq interrupted with a terrifically noisy _snort_.

"Yes he is! He practically _stalks _you. I bet he's totally in love with you-"

Kiku found himself flinching at the way Sadiq said it. He made it sound like it was wrong. _That word should not be spoken like that._

"- it's _creepy_! Come on, Goop, say it. He's _creepy._ With his droopy eyes, and him always dropping out of lessons. I bet he's a junkie. Probably does a buncha-"

"Sadiq, _stop_," Gupta warned, but he only relented slightly, casting a wary glance at Gupta's threatening glare.

"-kay, okay, he doesn't do drugs. I'll tell you what he _does_ do, Kiku-!"

"_Sadiq-_"

"-_**Everyone**__._Why do you think he's called 'Sleepy Boy'? He's practically slept with everyone-!"

"Sadiq that's not true!" Gupta cried, for once his voice was louder than a whisper. His worried amber eyes fell on Kiku's astonished face. "Don't listen to him, he's lying. He just hates Herakles,"

But even with Gupta trying to shut Sadiq up, he wouldn't stop.

He just kept going.

"-a libido that size isn't _normal_! God, Kiku, I bet you're one of his major portions of wank-material-"

"**Sadiq!**" Gupta roared, thoroughly scandalised. For the Egyptian, it was incredibly difficult to be friends with the Greek and the Turk. He should have known it was a mistake to bring Kiku to lunch with Sadiq, but he thought _he'd behave_-

Kiku stood up abruptly, brushing crumbs off his slacks. He bowed quickly, murmuring quick thanks, and making to leave, when he spotted him.

Herakles.

He was standing just next to the open window, not yet having come through it to the lawn. In his hands were two lunchboxes, but they were in a loose grip. His expression was horrified. At seeing Kiku. At having seen Sadiq tell Kiku all his _secrets_. Or at least, Sadiq had made him look bad to Kiku.

He certainly wasn't a sleep-around _whore_. The things Sadiq had said… he wanted to die, bury himself in a hole and never come out.

"Oh shit," Sadiq groaned, grinning bashfully at Herakles, though he really wasn't too upset at what he had revealed. "Sorry, man. I totally didn't mean it, Kiku," he said to the poor Japanese boy, "He's okay, I guess," he laughed, "Go get him,"

Kiku stiffened, blinking blandly at Herakles, who was standing frozen in the window. He felt so _guilty_ for sitting there and listening to everything Sadiq had said. He should have stopped him. He should have said something or done something. But he had been keen to hear about Herakles – anything about Herakles – he hadn't thought Sadiq would talk about him like _**that**_. That was humiliating. That was cruel. Kiku should have spotted the spark of cruel mischief in Sadiq's eyes when he began to talk about Herakles.

Kiku watched Herakles stoically lean out of the window to hand him one of the lunchboxes, and then retreat back into the shade of the canteen. The box was an old washed out ice cream box, with a thousand exotic smells of spices filtering out from it. A homemade meal. Kiku clutched it with both hands as he turned back to the still laughing Turk, an uncharacteristic scowl on his face.

"…it isn't funny," he said quietly, even still, Sadiq didn't listen.

He nodded at the apologetic Gupta, and then disappeared back into the canteen too.

* * *

><p>For the next few days, Kiku saw little of Herakles, and the guilt of which he could not understand (it wasn't his fault he had listened to Sadiq. Sadiq just wouldn't stop speaking) weighed down on him, every single day. Did Herakles think Kiku believed Sadiq? Of course he didn't. Kiku didn't believe any of what Sadiq had said. He was just being crude and cruel. Later on that day, Gupta had come up to him to apologise, saying it had been a terrible mistake, and Sadiq just enjoyed teasing Herakles <em>too far<em>.

Still, Kiku felt guilty. Miserable and guilty. Was Herakles avoiding him now?

He asked Gupta where he napped often, and then visited each of the places on a regular basis, every day. But still, the large Greek man could not be found. Was he even coming to school anymore? Kiku began to worry. Where was he?

Where was Herakles?

He held the empty ice cream box in his hands, chewing on his lip nervously.

The meal had been a fragrant dish of something reminiscent of the Italian lasagne Feliciano sometimes cooked for him and Ludwig, but with tubular pasta instead of pasta sheets, and the warm flavour and scent of nutmeg permeating through the meat. When Kiku Googled it, he found out it was called _pastitsio_, and was a sort of Greek version of the lasagne.

Yao had poked so much fun at him when he returned home with the box completely empty, and tomato stains on his shirt. Eating pastitsio with chopsticks was no easy task.

Even so, Kiku compared Yao's well-timed, friendly ribbing to the brutal onslaught of bad-mouthing Sadiq had done… that couldn't be called 'teasing'. Yao had been 'teasing'. Sadiq had been bullying.

Kiku felt anger well up in his eyes, as well as slight frustration, defeat. He wanted to see Herakles, but… but… they'd only ever met at school. He didn't know where he lived, or anything else about him.

Kiku tapped the empty box like a drum with his fingers, tasting the metallic taste of blood under his tongue, which meant he was near to biting through his lip.

He almost did when he felt a hand come to rest on his head.

Yao.

"You're going to return that to him?"

Kiku nodded solemnly, grunting when Yao patted him on the back. And then one hand crept over his shoulder to drop a slip of paper on the box lid. An address.

"…you. Where did you get this?"

"He gave it to me. He's really an odd guy, but sweet. That day he asked for permission, he gave me this, so that apparently he can't run away from me if he hurts or upsets you," Yao grinned, "He gave _me_ permission to beat him up real bad if that happens,"

Kiku stared at the address numbly, his welled up eyes dripping onto the ink and making the paper go translucent.

"I can't,"

"Hmm?" Yao whirled him around, beaming at him as he took the box from his limp fingers to shake it. He tapped it, "Not like this you can't. You should cook something. Fill it up," he tapped the box again.

"Eh?"

"Well, he gave it to you full. You should give him something too, don't you think?"

With that, Kiku was wrapped in an apron and sent into the kitchen to cook something _nice_. Yao watched him cook with utmost concentration and care, a never-ending smile on his face.

* * *

><p>Kiku was not the first person you would expect to visit your house, even if you <em>were <em>his friend. Unless there was an emergency, he was relatively known to be a hermit, pleased to stay in his own home and not visit _other_ homes. It was a comfort thing. Kiku was more comfortable in his own company than with others, not that he was anti-sociable or anything he just…

He just liked his own company. There really was no reason for it.

The peace and quiet, not having the obligation to say anything or be a host or guest to someone – he preferred it.

Because it was rare of him to go to other peoples' houses, he found himself feeling awkward as he approached Herakles' front door. A messy note was taped to the front.

"_Outside. Check the yard. Will be back – Herakles_"

No mention of _when _he would be back, but… did that count as an invitation to check his yard for _him_? Kiku hesitated. The note was so brief, he wasn't sure what it meant at all. For once, the Greek man appeared careless in something that he did. This was _not_ the best moment for it.

The makeshift bento he had packed into the ice cream box was getting cold!

Kiku shifted on his feet, eyeing the note uneasily. Should he knock? Should he go to the yard? He didn't know if Herakles was back in the house or at the back because _there was no time written down_. He didn't put it past a guy like Herakles to forget to take the note off his door once he'd gone inside.

He groaned inwardly. With all this awkwardness, his courage to face Herakles was surely draining.

Then he heard a meow, and jumped.

Down, right by his feet, rubbing up against the door, was a white cat.

The cat purred, rubbing against the door insistently, and then opened its yellow eyes. Kiku smiled, dropping to his knees slowly and placing the box aside to stroke the cat. Its purrs rumbled against its throat, vibrating on his fingertips. Kiku played with the cat for a bit, and then stood up with the box again, watching the cat's imploring gaze on him as it circled him for a while.

"Hello neko-san," he said quietly, gasping as another cat poked its head out of a flower pot suddenly. And then another cat came from around the corner of the house. Were all these _Herakles' _cats? Kiku bent down again to brush his knuckles against the insistent white cat, tutting as he found white cat hairs stuck to his black shoes. But the cat simply lifted its head and strangely _beckoned_ Kiku to follow it. He mused to himself how similar it was to Alice in Wonderland's white rabbit, though much lazier, with absolutely no rush.

Anyhow, Kiku found himself following the white cat on its path around the side of the house, down towards a gate… the yard. Herakles must be in there then, he thought.

He cautiously pushed the gate open, after deliberating with whether he should knock on the _gate_, and then realising how stupid that sounded. The gate creaked, but then swung soundlessly. He sighed in relief, stepping inside the small yard, and finding something peculiar.

A mound of cats, covering something with two long legs sticking out of it. The rest of the thing was completely covered in cats. If that was Herakles, Kiku wondered how he wasn't suffocating.

He approached the cats, seeing some of them peel away from the body, coming to him for attention. When enough of the cats had come away, he could finally see the brown curly hair of Herakles, and smiled in relief to see him smack his lips in sleep. At least he hadn't suffocated.

Herakles seemed to notice the change though, since he opened one eye. Instantly in his vision was Kiku, and he gasped, almost sitting up. But the weight of the cats on his chest made him stay lying down, and he only let Kiku see his surprise through his fully opened eyes.

Kiku flushed, showing Herakles the cloth-wrapped box, "For you. I forgot to return it,"

"Ah…" Herakles nodded, reaching out to the box. Kiku placed it within reach of his fingertips, because he didn't think Herakles could lift it at the moment. "Thank you,"

"No, thank you. It was very delicious,"

Herakles smiled then. A white flash of teeth in his tanned face, which was beautifully framed by his curly dark hair. Kiku nodded.

"I have come to apologise-"

"Again?"

He blinked. "Yes, Karpusi-san-"

"Please, call me Herakles,"

Kiku blushed hotly, shaking his head rapidly. But then he forced himself to calm down. He called many of his Westerner friends by their first names. It was nothing different here.

"I came to apologise…Herakles…san,"

Herakles frowned slowly (even the movement of his eyebrows was slow), "It isn't for you… to apologise…

"Sadiq's a bastard,"

"Herakles-san!"

Herakles laughed at Kiku's scolding tone, watching his love's face colour beautifully, and a twin smile appear on his face, albeit a much more modest smile. For Kiku, this was the first time he had heard Herakles laugh, and it was a hearty, comforting sound.

Then there was a moment where Herakles' laugh melted away, yet his face was still smiling. The cats had been shaken off from his laughter, so he was free to move. He sat up and lifted the box, surprised by its weight.

"What's… in it?"

"Oh, I made a meal for you in return,"

"A meal…" he watched Herakles unwrap the cloth and pull off the lid curiously. The smell of freshly deep-fried pork cutlet, onion, egg and rice rose in a steam from the box. At least it was still hot.

"Katsudon," he explained, naming the ingredients. Herakles' cheeks flushed, and he surprised Kiku by taking his hand and quickly marching out of the yard, through the back door into the kitchen.

He sat them down, releasing Kiku's stunned hand, and went to dig in the drawers for cutlery. He returned with forks and handed one to Kiku.

"Oh no, it's for _you_, Hera-"

"Eat, please," he insisted, digging into the rice immediately. Kiku was dumbfounded. They were going to _share_? Could he blush any darker than this?

After the mouthful of rice, Herakles stopped eating, eyeballing Kiku and gesturing with urgent looks between the fork in his hand and the food. Kiku sighed.

"Itadakimasu," he murmured, taking a piece of sliced pork reluctantly and biting into it. He didn't notice Herakles watching him, and murmuring the repetition under his breath.

"Ita… Itadak-"

Kiku's eyes widened, and he felt his chest warm again. He held Herakles' eyes, repeating it slowly to him.

"Itadakimasu,"

"I-Itada…Itadakimasu," Herakles managed, beaming after he managed the long, complicated word. Kiku smiled back at him, and they returned to the meal in companionable silence. After which, Herakles went to put the stuff into the sink and then took Kiku back out to the yard.

"Delicious," he said, shooing a cat away from his spot. He gestured to Kiku to lie beside him. Surprisingly, Kiku joined him on the grass.

"Thank you, Herakles-san," Kiku said, brushing the cat's soft fur, who was sleeping on Herakles' chest. The cat seemed to prefer the human who gave it attention, and crawled over to lie on Kiku instead. Herakles made to shoo it away, but Kiku stopped him, saying he enjoyed the cat's comfort.

Soon cats of all shapes and sizes settled around them, sitting on their stomachs, legs, arms and… pretty much everywhere. Kiku had never seen so many cats in his life.

"Close your eyes,"

Kiku did so immediately, feeling all at once, the sensations of the warm, furry bodies all around him. They were wonderfully warm and comforting. Kiku sighed, loving the cute animals that were so docile around this sleepy Greek boy next to him. He had no idea that Herakles had so many cats, but now that he thought about it, the cats really suited him.

He could imagine now, the image of Herakles sleeping out in the sun with his cats around him, all of them basking in the sun's warm glow and enjoying napping in the outdoors.

Kiku sighed again. This was such a wonderful feeling…

"This is what he meant,"

"Eh?" Kiku blinked awake, turning to see Herakles smiling at him.

"Sadiq, when he said I slept with many people,"

"Oh," Kiku frowned, trying to recall… "_Oh!_" he understood. What a twist of words? Was it his mind being dirty, or Sadiq's? He threw an un-amused glare at Herakles, who chuckled.

_Sleeping._

Kiku returned to gazing at the back of his eyelids, hearing Herakles settle back down onto the grass beside him. A small cat was coiled perfectly on his chest, moving with every breath he took.

"Herakles-san,"

"Hmm?"

"Please say it again. Say…"_ it_. _That word that started it all._

He did not hear something for a while, though the silence was horribly pessimistic.

"…I can't, Kiku,"

Kiku felt panic - pain blossom in his chest, but the cat stretched on his chest, and he was convinced that panicking wasn't necessary.

Questions were necessary.

"Why?"

"… I am afraid, Kiku… of disappointment. I think... I could only say it... that one time-"

"You won't be disappointed, I promise,"

Opening his eyes, he turned to see Herakles' surprised, but pleased face. It spoke to him already, asking '_really?_', and Kiku nodded.

"If I said something to you now, in my own language, which you do not understand, would you understand me?" he asked softly.

He watched Herakles' smile grow. "I think I can guess,"

Kiku nodded, smiling too, "Well then, Herakles-kun, _sukiyo,"_


End file.
